Patient Care Fund
| Family Navigation
|
Family
Grants |
Research |
Advocacy |
Education |
Bereavement
Services |
Accomplishments
Our
Commitment to Help:
The Keaton Raphael Memorial is
a private, not for profit organization which assists local childhood
cancer patients & their families through...
Patient Care Fund
Our
Patient Care Fund provides support for programs and services that
directly impact the quality of life for childhood cancer patients and
their families undergoing treatment.
Patient Navigation
Lizzie
Dalton has been assisting local childhood cancer families since February
2006. Lizzie helps prioritize the issues facing the family and,
together, helps develop a plan of action to improve the family's
situation.
Family Grants
Our Family Grants are available to childhood cancer patients and their families
who reside in Northern Nevada.
The goal of the program is to alleviate some of the family’s financial
burden by providing direct financial assistance. Although we understand
we cannot meet a family’s entire financial need, the gesture is also
intended to provide the family with HOPE that they are not alone in this
battle and link them into the childhood cancer community of support.
A “Family Grant”
package includes:
-
A financial donation to
the parent(s) of the child.
-
Information regarding
the child’s cancer type, including books, pamphlets and other
resource materials.
-
Age-appropriate sibling
information.
-
Gas and grocery gift cards
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Information on community
and national childhood cancer resources.
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Personalized warmth with
a custom-made “snuggle blanket” designed with age-appropriate
patterns and lovingly made by a special KRM volunteer.
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Journals for each family
member to document their medical questions/history and emotional
experiences .
-
Disposable cameras and
mini photo albums so each child can see the faces of those who care
about them anywhere their treatment takes them.
*
Childhood cancer patients in Northern Nevada may refer themselves or
they may be referred by medical staff, caring community individuals or
family members. Please
contact us to refer a family.
Research
“Save a
Child, Invest in a Cure” remains our major objective until researchers
find a cure. KRM invests in research projects which directly
benefit children in our own community and nationwide. We believe that
research is the key to finding a cure for our children.
Advocacy
Since 2000, founder and executive director Robyn Raphael has been meeting with legislators as a team leader for the state of
California and a parent advocate for CureSearch/National Childhood Cancer Foundation for increased research funding for
childhood cancer. In 2006, KRM Board Member Shirley Folkins-Roberts was elected team leader for the state of Nevada and has
been traveling to Capitol Hill two times per year to meet with Nevada legislators, share stories of local families and to
urge support for increased research funding. As a result, we have received commitments from Senator Reid, Congresswoman Heller,
Congresswoman Berkley and Congressman Porter to support current legislation requesting 30 million per year for the next five
years towards childhood cancer research.
As a local advocate for comprehensive services for childhood cancer
patients and their families, KRM partners with local medical
institutions on projects that directly benefit childhood cancer families
in Northern Nevada.
Education
It is
imperative that we educate our community about the facts of childhood
cancer. Understanding the facts helps people understand the urgency to
help families in their community and invest in a cure.
We educate our
communities by:
-
Distributing gold ribbon
pins with facts about childhood cancer (more than 20,000 distributed
to date).
-
Coordinating an annual Childhood Cancer Awareness Event in Reno and public service
announcements during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (September).
Bereavement Services
We believe
healthy grieving is important in the journey parents and siblings must
travel to begin healing and find hope again after the loss of a child.
Upon
notification of a child who has lost the battle, we can provide
assistance by:
-
Providing customized
gold ribbon cards with the child’s name, birth/death date and other
information the family wishes to print on the card for attendees at
the child’s service. A favorite poem, quote or message can provide
comfort and the card provides attendees with a gold ribbon pin,
symbolizing their support for children battling cancer.
-
Assist parents with
planning their child’s service.
-
Provide a tasteful box
of bereavement resources for the entire family, including
therapeutic bereavement resources available in their community.
It
is important for our organization to let parents know that they are not
alone. The path they travel is familiar to us and we are here with
compassion and understanding.
